


Icarus

by Kris_lazycat



Series: Etrian Odyssey modern au [3]
Category: Etrian Odyssey Series, 新・世界樹の迷宮2 ファフニールの騎士 | Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Fafnir Knight
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, It's really not as bad as it sounds, Jealousy, M/M, Orphanage, and my first time writing angst, just background for my modern au, surprised it took me this many years honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kris_lazycat/pseuds/Kris_lazycat
Summary: Fafnir is an orphan. He's 9, and he's never been good at showing emotions.He's thought his unexpressivenes to be a curse. Today, it's a blessing.
Relationships: Fafnir Knight & Flavio, Fafnir Knight/Flavio, Quona/Abigail
Series: Etrian Odyssey modern au [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737040
Kudos: 3





	Icarus

Fafnir is an orphan. He's 9, and he's never been good at showing emotions.

He's thought it a curse, but today, it's a blessing.

These 9 years have been spent among misunderstanding born from his issues at explaining himself, both through his body and his words. Adults are not fond of him, the other children didn't and still do not enjoy spending time with him. He's been all alone.

Except for Flavio.

Flavio is an odd duck. He enjoys playing with Fafnir, reads with him, talks to him and stays in silence with him too. Other people avoid Flavio because he's a liar, "Flavio the fibbler", and Fafnir thinks that's the oddest thing of all. Because Flavio is bad at lying, he just can't stop giving himself away, and Fafnir likes that about him. Likes that they're together, likes that despite being called a liar, he is the most honest of them all.

Or that's what Fafnir thought.

That's what he believed.

Pheraps, what he's wanted to believe.

Bevause Flavio promised they would always be together.

Flavio is leaving.

It was sudden. Flavio ran up to him one evening with stars in his eyes, telling him - no - screaming to him that he was getting adopted by a couple of women who visited that day. They would come pick him the day after.

When Flavio hugged Fafnir, he hugged back. Told him he was happy for him.

He wasn't.

He didn't know why, but he wasn't and he didn't know what he was feeling.

When the women come by the day after, he looks at them from behind a pillar. One of them has long pink hair, tied in low twin tails, while the other's are a shade of brown that glistens in the sun so beautifully, Fafnir thinks angels have come to take his best friend from him. Heaven itself is taking him away, to a place where he'll have a mom and a dad- actually scatch that, no dad, two moms.

A place he can't ever reach, his thoughts remind him.

The pink haired woman catches sight of him and nudges her wife. He tenses and briefly considers to make a run for it, searches for the fastest way to flee.

The woman waves at him with a smile. No parent has ever smiled at him like that before. She's the first.

He runs away.

He doesn't feel well. There's a pain in his chest, that squeezes, squeezes, until he feels like he's about to cry from how bad It feels.

They're good people. They won't care if their son is labeled as a liar, they'll love him first and foremost. Like Fafnir had always wanted. Like Flavio deserves.

It's too much. The ugly feeling inside him just grows and grows to the point where he's shaking. He's gonna throw up. Something inside of him is being pulled and stretched, broken and shattered to the point where he can't bear it. He just wants to go to Flavio, run to him and say, _scream-_

_Don't go. Don't go, just please don't leave me. I'm gonna be so alone if you go._

He wants to keep him. From his happiness, from his family, something they've always fantasized about having. Wants to just keep him by his side. And that's when he realizes.

 _This_ he thinks, _this is the reason nobody wants me. If I've got all these ugly feelings inside me for the only person who has ever cared about me, I shouldn't have anyone._

He curls on himself in a corner and cries silently, because he's never learned how to wail and sob. Only normal children do that, so obviously he can't. He cries until his chest is stagnant with the horrible sensation and he barely feels like moving. It shouldn't hurt like this, it really shouldn't.

Flavio is waiting by the car. For Fafnir, because wants to say goodbye properly. Because he wants him to know this won't be a goodbye forever. But Fafnir is nowhere to be found, and if Flavio had been more assertive, he would have waited more before hugging everyone and getting in the car.

But he was never assertive. He's no Fafnir.

Still, from the moving car he sends a silent prayer. Counts to three, turns around. Fafnir is there, in the distance, disheveled. He immediately opens the window to look at him. He's waving, yelling something Flavio can't hear, but he waves back frantically until the mop of white hair is out if sight.

He knows they'll meet again.

Fafnir doesn't. He knows this is goodbye.

Even as the sun sets, he stands there, staring at the horizon, even as the sky turns from purple to red, straining his eyes. If he stares long enough, he can pretend his tears are because of how much his eyes hurt, because he is a fool looking at the sun too much.

Getting too close, 'till it burns him.

Icarus.

A big hand rests gently against his back. He doesn't have the will to look up. He wants to melt into a soft cloud and fly, fly away, follow him wherever he may go.

"Am I selfish?"

The person next to him doesn't speak for what feels the longest time. When he does, Fafnir realizes it's the Headmaster.

"There is nothing wrong with missing him, and no shame in treasuring a friendship."

Fafnir bites the inside of his cheek, until it stings.

"I wanted to be with him." _I know I'm just selfish, I know I'm nothing but a bad kid, but I..._

"If you try your hardest, you'll see him again. He's you friend, after all. Nothing can change that."

And for the first, and Fafnir decides, last time, he lets out a sob.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear Imma write the chapter where he gets adopted to make up for this sadness, please don't have my head on a pike ;-;


End file.
